Overview
- Mumbai Police say driver Santosh Sawant pressed the accelerator instead of the brake and later tried to shift blame to another driver, with the RTO finding no mechanical defect in the e-bus.
- A magistrate remanded Sawant to 14-day judicial custody after rejecting a request for extended police remand, allowing medical follow-ups to proceed from jail.
- BEST ordered mandatory refresher and skill-upgradation training for all e-bus drivers, comprehensive depot reviews of service records, and temporary withdrawal of drivers with prior violations, supported by mobile training units.
- On January 1, a wet-lease BEST e-bus collided with a truck near Aarey Colony Gate 5, killing the truck driver and injuring three, and police registered a case against bus driver Mohammad Rafiq Shaikh.
- BEST data for 2023–2025 show 958 accidents and 77 deaths, with the majority involving wet-lease buses, intensifying scrutiny of contractor operations and enforcement.